Nip + Fab Sheer Make up Fix £14.95

The Nip + Fab products have been so popular they normally sell out before they have even hit the shelves. My two favourite products are scrub fix and lip + nip fix so of course I wanted to try the makeup fix when it came out. Primers have been huge this year and I have tried some really great ones so it had a lot to live up to. It doesn’t have such a velvety feel as some primers but still feels soft as you apply it. It certainly kept my makeup on for longer and I didn’t have a shiny forehead after a day’s work as usual.  

Living Nature Gentle Makeup Remover £11.75

The older I get the more sensitive my eyes seem to get. If I have been out for a night with thick eye makeup by the time I get home my eyes are always desperate to to be cleansed of all makeup. The gentler the makeup remover the better and the one from living nature is lovely and gentle without losing its removing power. It contains witch hazel which is an anti-inflammatory, just the thing to sooth my sore eyes. It also contains a host of other lovely natural ingredients to cleanse and clean my skin of all makeup. With some eye makeup removers you have to wipe your eye several times to get all eyeliner and mascara off. With Living Natures makeup remover I only need to soak my eyes with a makeup pad with the remover on, a few gentle sweeps and my eyes are clean and fresh. As I haven't had to scrub at them they don't get irritated making my sore eyes worse. Even if you don't have really sensitive eyes you will still be impressed with how well Living Natures makeup remover cleans up your eyes at the end of the day.

Kerastase Elixir Ultime £26

I have not been looking after my hair as best I can recently and as a result it has felt quite dry and damaged. I decided it was time to give it a bit of a treat and went for Kerastase Elixir Ultime, it was the sleek packaging that got me, and it just looked really luxurious. It’s quite unusual to apply a product before you wash your hair and I thought it would just wash out without really doing anything. I was wrong though as my hair felt much more nourished and not about to break if it gets lightly tugged. As my hair is quite thin when I left it on after washing my hair as a leave in treatment I found my hair got greasier quicker. Normally I can leave my hair a day in-between washing but if I use Kerastase I have to wash my hair everyday. It has certainly made an improvement on the condition of my hair and a little goes along way which is helpful as it’s not the cheapest product. 

Elemis Aching Muscle Soak £32.70

Although it makes me sound like an old lady, I do have problems with a few of my joints, they are quite loose and tend to dislocate very often. Anyone that has ever had a dislocated shoulder or hip it’s not a nice experience and can tend to be quite painful. One of my favourite things in the world when my joints are painful is slipping into a super hot bubble bath with a good book. I am always suspicious of products that claim to ease sore muscles as more often than not they don’t. It does smell slightly of Germaline but I like the smell as it reminds me of being at my Grandmother’s house, she used to smear it on any cuts when I inevitably fell over trying to run faster than my legs would allow. Bubbles aplenty came from three capfuls which is always a good start. I relaxed in the hot water, thinking about childhood memories and not about my aching bones, which is a start. The muscle soak wasn’t a complete reprieve from painful joints but it was certainly a lovely relaxing experience and one I will be recreating again.

Another bath foam I have been using recently is Sainsbury’s Blue Bath Soak 61p and I only picked it up because it was cheap. I love it though because it smells of cool water by Dafadoff which is my favourite man smell in the world. 

Scented Nail Wraps £5.95

The first scented nail wraps have arrived and even better they smell like rose wine. The people at Gallo have teamed up with the people at Sphix to create these great scented wraps. The advantage of using nail wraps over varnish is that you get a completely faultless finish and I find they are much quicker to use and last longer. The scent is thankfully full of fruity smells as I was slightly worried that the odour would be slightly sickly. Perfect for a girly night in or a night on the town, your nails will certainly be a talking point. 

Benefit Watt's Up £24.50

In my continued quest to try ever product Benefit does I recently got sent the new highlighter Watt’s Up. The packaging as usual with Benefit is far from boring but it did take me a minute or two to figure out how to use it. I thought maybe the sponge bit at the end allowed the product to seep through it and started to pump it against the back of my hand. After realising my stupidity I took the top off the other end and was greeted by the pearlesant coral coloured highlighter. The trick is to apply a couple of dabs of the product and blend with the soft sponge end. I like to use it at the top of my cheeks and brow bone for a sculpted look. A smear under your eyebrows also lifts the eyebrows up and makes you look more awake. Like all Benefit products it has great staying powder and you only need a little bit to completely lift your look. I also mixed a small amount of Watt’s Up with some foundation and it gave my skin a lovely healthy glow. 

GOSH Nail Glitter £3.99

Nails are big this season, from patterns and prints to glitz to glitter, the more dazzling the better. I love these GOSH pots of nail glitter as they are really well priced and in some lovely colours. You can apply them by slicking on some clear nail varnish and before that goes hard dipping your nails into the little pot. To finish just dust off the excess with a makeup brush and marvel at your sparkly nails. To add even more glamour paint your nails with your favourite colour varnish and dip the tip of your nails into a contrasting colour glitter. For exclusive news and offers from GOSH just 'like' their Facebook page. 

National Wedding Show

I have had a really busy couple of weeks and so haven’t been posting daily on here like I normally do. I have been introduced to some great beauty products though so have plenty to write about over the next couple of weeks.

My beautiful sister is getting married next year so asked me along to the Wedding Show at Earls Court the other weekend. It was a lovely day and I got quite emotional seeing her try on headdresses. I was exhausted getting the train back but it gave me time to go through all the goodies I got.

I bought some Helen E Cosmetics as they were such a bargain, £10 for a foundation and concealer set, an eyeliner, lip gloss, eye shadow and mascara. The foundation is unusual as it is meant to be perfect for any skin shade. When it was tried on my sisters skin it did blend really well although she didn’t like the feel of it at first. The eye shadow is a lovely glittery gold that will be perfect for parties. All in all not bad for a tenner.

Our goody bags were also filled to the brim with beauty products, cereals and leaflets. If you are getting married it’s a great place to get some ideas and really get in the mood for the celebrations to come. 

New CID i-flick £18.50

What a fabulous idea to have a both a liquid liner and kohl liner in one pen. I use the liquid liner to give my eyes a subtle line on the tops of my lids for the day. In the evening I add more liquid liner to the tops of my lids and extend the line out to give them sexy cat’s eye flicks. I then use the kohl liner underneath my eyes to enhance them. If I am feeling really daring I apply the kohl to the water lines and heavily smudge it under my eyes for classic smoky eyes.

Laura Geller Brow Marker

After having spent years using the same eye brow pencil I am now exploring the different options available to me. Although it’s always done me proud in the past on a hot day it can leave me with eyebrows that are too thick and uneven. This brow marker from Laura Geller rids all those problems and it looks so natural. The felt tip nip lets you create small, soft strokes so you can effortless fill in any gaps. Available in a range of colours so you can get the perfect match for your hair colour. What’s more it’s extremely long lasting and completely smudge proof. 

Beauty Truths Not Ugly Lies

Beauty Truths Not Ugly Lies in Print 

QVC are raising money for breast cancer

Next Wednesday 12^th October from 7pm to 10 pm QVC will be broadcasting a special 3-hour live show called ‘be aware, show you care’. We’ll be playing moving moments from the show and offering you the chance to buy some limited edition pieces from Bare Escentuals, OPI and Leighton Denny to name a few with every penny of the net proceeds going to helping women and men with breast cancer.

QVC tune in details below:

Wednesday 12th October, 7pm - 10pm

Freeview channel 16, Sky channel 640, Virgin TV channel 740, Freesat channel 800

www.qvcuk.com

What's with the weather.

The weather this year in the UK has been somewhat mixed. We started the year with mountains of snow, had a blissfully hot spring and summer was below par even for the UK. Now moving into Autumn, the sunshine has had a reprieve and even though the nights are cold and windy the days are so hot sunburn is a real possibility. The other week I went out to meet a friend for lunch and ended up burning my shoulders and back after only being in the sun for 30 minutes and the sky was pretty cloudy. 

I got home slightly bemused by my red shoulders and applied Queen's Sensitive Skin Oil (£17.65) not only to my burnt bits but everywhere. I have been using the oil quite a bit since I got sent it to try. I tend to apply a couple of drops into a hot bath for a decadent feel and then glide it over my skin after I have got out the bath. I have satin sheets on my bed and there is something so lovely about freshly oiled skin slipping into satin sheets that makes me smile. As it's sensitive I don't need to worry about it upsetting my skin, I even use it after waxing to get all the small bits of wax off my skin and to sooth the skin, something I wouldn't do with most body oils. The oil also helps my legs to stay moisturised as my calfs have a tendency to get quite dry. I also you it after a shower before I go out. It makes you skin look softer, smoother and devastatingly touchable.  

Although Queen's Sensitive Skin Oil was great at soothing my sunburn it would have been much better if I had avoided getting burnt at all. What I should of done and will promise to do from now on is to apply sun cream. During the summer I used Ahava's Mineral Suncare SPF 30 (£19) and I didn't even go slightly pink all summer. It easily absorbs into your skin and you don't have to spend precious time on your holiday rubbing it in and as its moisturising, my skin was left feeling soft and not greasy like some suncreams. It is water resistant so I didn't need to reapply it every time I went in the pool. It also has a great smell, it still has that summer smell you only get with suntan lotion but it also has a slight perfume. My friend is off skiing in a few weeks and asked me what beauty related products she should take. The first thing I told her to get was Ahava's Mineral Suncare as you can get really burnt whilst skiing as the sun is reflected off the snow. I would have given her my spray bottle but I am holding onto as I am pretty sure I will be needing it again this year. 

Benefit

For the next three days Benefit are offering a free brow tint when you pay for a brow arch at one of their fabulous boutiques. Just take the above voucher along with you for your appointment and you will fabulous eyebrows in no time at all.

Angela Langford

There are lots of things to love about Angela Langford’s products, for one you feel like you are dealing with a person and not a faceless company. All the products come wrapped in pink tissue paper and if you pay for post and packaging she will send you a selection of products specifically for your skin type for free. So if my ramblings of greatness don’t convince you, try the products for yourself.

First up let’s talk about the balanced and beautiful oil £22.55. I have tended to stay away from using oils on my face, I still get the occasional spot outbreak and thought using a face oil probably wouldn’t help the matter. It’s a totally different experience from using a regular moisturiser, and the first thing I noticed was the smell, it is absolutely fantastic. It has a scent of sweet ginger and a hint of citrus with a natural freshness that is like no other moisturiser I have tried. It didn’t feel greasy when I put it on and it only took two drops to cover my face and neck. I found it needs less rubbing into the skin too absorb but I end up spending ages massaging my face as it just felt so soft afterwards. I tend to put it on after an evening bath before I go to bed and the next morning my face looks and feels like it has just been moisturised. Everything about the product from the smell to the texture makes you feel like you are really treating your skin to something special.

Beautiful Eyes £17.45 is another great smelling product but the scent is lighter than the oil. I haven’t really used eye creams regularly before but considering that next year I turn the big 30 I thought it best I start at least thinking about it. Beautiful Eyes is a cream that just melted into my skin, you only have to use the most gentlest of movements and it soaks into your skin. It’s packed full of lots of lovely natural ingredients to tighten, plump and sooth the skin around your eyes.  

With both products a little really goes along way and there is something fundamentally superior about these two products, because there are no chemicals and the quality of ingredients used. I loved them both, the luxurious application as they both melt into the skin and the instantly better looking skin they produce. These products aren’t going to give you a totally new face but they will make you much happier about the one you have got.

Broke but Beautiful - Coffee

Has the summer left your wallet feeling a bit light? Are you in need of some pampering but just don't have the funds? Well don't worry as I am going to give you a few tips on looking your best on a strict budget! First up a little known use for leftover coffee grounds.


Drinking coffee, it has been claimed, can have positive effects on a person’s health. In 2009 studies proposed that coffee consumption could help to lower the risk of coronary heart disease in women, can help prevent diabetes, lower the risk of liver cancer, endometrial cancer, strokes, depression and cognitive failure.


There has also been suggested a link between the caffeine found in coffee and cellulite, caffeine contains chemicals known as Methylxanthine, which are thought to break down fat. You can even buy caffeine tights that aim to shrink thighs and improve the look of the dreaded orange peel. Drinking a few cups a day has been said to reduce cellulite and some of the most expensive cellulite creams contain caffeine.


A lesser known use for coffee is as an amazing exfoliator, never will your skin have felt so soft. The used grounds from a cafetiere make a perfect scrub when mixed with a little shower gel. Using firm, circular motions, rub the coffee mix all over body when in the bath or shower, paying particular attention to elbows, thighs, knees and ankles. Rinse well so there is no residue left behind and moisturise after drying.


If you aren’t a coffee drinker some large coffee chains give away free grounds, just ask at the counter. As used coffee grounds have a tendency to go off, I portion mine up into sandwich bags and pop them in the freezer.

Broke but Beautiful - Banana

Bananas are a super fruit given their high potassium content, which helps lower blood pressure, and impressive vitamin and mineral count, make the banana a great snack. Vitamin A is needed for healthy vision and skin, Vitamin B which is important for the immune and nervous systems, folic acid, Vitamin C which is full of antioxidants, Calcium and Magnesium.


The fruit are claimed to help with a huge variety of health problems including anaemia, high blood pressure, constipation, depression, heartburn, nerves and stress. It’s also claimed to be great for PMS and make into a smoothie for a great hangover cure.


There are some people however, that even given all the nutritional goodness are afraid of bananas, which is called bananaphobia. It may sound strange but it is more common than people think to be afraid of the yellow fruit. One of my friends is so scared of bananas her flatmate has to eat them secretly, making sure she hides the skins in the bottom of the bin.


Bananas also make a quick and simple hair and face mask that will leave you hair soft and shiny and your face smooth and soft. Simply place a banana in a food processor with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Blitz to a smooth and creamy consistency and smoother onto face and hair in a thick layer. Leave on for 15 minutes and then rinse off with cold water, wash face and hair as normal.


This is a really good trick to use up bananas that have been become bruised or are less than fresh!

Nubar Nail Lacquer

It took me ages to decide which to colours I wanted to try from the huge amount available at Beauty Shed but when they arrived I was really pleased with my choices. The one on the left is Wildlife £8 an olive tone with a duochrome effect which has sparkles of pink and gold in it. 

The second shade I went for was Moon Shadow £8 which is a dark violet pearlsecent tone with hints of gold and black. 

Both shades were really easy to apply thanks to the well shaped lid and only two coats were needed to create a look that gave a great impact. I ended up applying a coat of Wildlife over a coat of Moon Shadow which looked fabulous and brought out the gold tones in both colours. I always forget what a difference a couple of coats on nail varnish makes and luckily these varnishes lasted the best part of a week without chipping. 


Top Tip - If you don't have the steadiest hand when it comes to applying nail varnish don't worry.  All you need to do is apply the best you can and not worry about getting it on your skin. After the polish has dried (leave at least 20 minutes) go and do the washing up or let your hands soak in the bath. It pulls off all the nail varnish on your skin and leaves it on your nails. 

Benefit Free Delivery

Until midnight on the 13th September Benefit are offering free delivery when you buy the POREfessional.  If like me you are slightly depressed that winter has reared its ugly head and summer has left us, head over to the Benefit website  enter the code POREDEL4 to claim free delivery to cheer yourself up.  

Eat your way to better skin

If you have very dry skin try foods rich in beta-carotene such as spinach and red and yellow peppers.    

To combat oily skin try swapping butter for olive oil instead.

For skin prone to spots and acne, add selenium-rich food such as cashew nuts, brazil nuts and sunflower seeds.